Not Applicable.
This invention relates in general to prostate implanting devices, and more specifically to a disposable guide that can be used alone or in conjunction with other seed stabilization devices, for treatment of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy of the male genitourinary tract. In 1998, the number of cases of prostate cancer in the United States, alone, was estimated to be 184,500, with approximately 39,200 men dying of the disease annually. (Landis, S. H., Murray T., Bolden, S., et al: Cancer Statistics 1998. CA Cancem J. Clin 48:6-29, 1998).
The various methods for treatment include surgical intervention, external radiotherapy, brachytherapy seed implants, high dose rate brachytherapy, cryotherapy (freezing) and RF (heat) therapy.
Surgical intervention and external radiotherapy are widely known. The latter treatment method involves two basic steps:
1. Guide interventional device(s) into the prostate gland under ultrasound guidance, either with or without a stabilizing device.
2. Kill tissue by delivering energy, or in the case of cryotherapy, by taking away energy.
Brachytherapy is defined as the use of permanent implants or radioactive materials at the site. Brachytherapy has been successfully used in the treatment of prostate cancer. This is especially true when performed with the aid of implant stabilization devices, such as the AccuSeed, designed and manufactured by Tayman Medical, Inc., located in Chesterfield, Mo. The Tayman Medical AccuSeed stabilization device cradles the ultrasound probe so that the prostate gland can be viewed in real-time while inserting interventional devices through bores in the template to facilitate therapy. The bores in the template simply guide needles, etc. through the perineum and into the prostate gland.
High Dose Rate Brachytherapy involves temporary insertion of radioactive wires. The term radiation refers to energy propagated through space to destroy tissue. Cryotherapy is defined as the use of a very low temperature instrument to freeze tissue. RF therapy is defined as the use of electric current to heat tissue via an instrument that is in contact with the tissue.
Disadvantages associated with surgical intervention include impotence and incontinence due to damage of tissues in close proximity to the prostate, such as seminal vesicles and essential nerve bundles. External radiation can also have deleterious effects on surrounding normal tissues (e.g., seminal vesicles, essential nerve bundles, bladder, rectum, and the urethra). With permanent brachytherapy seed implants there is a potential for radiation exposure to hospital staff and family members because the radioactive seeds leave the facility with the patient. High dose brachytherapy has the disadvantage that it also involves radioactivity, although no radioactive materials leave with the patient. Researchers in cryotherapy and RF therapy are challenged to accurately predict heat transfer in the very complex system comprised of the prostate and surrounding tissues.
Advantages of high dose rate brachytherapy include higher confidence in dose calculations because treatment planning is done using actual needle positions after needle placement. This technique can reduce exposure to surrounding tissues such as the bladder and rectum. The short treatment time adds to the patient""s comfort, and no residual radioactive materials or tissue remain in the patient when the procedure is over. Some of the above advantages, as well as the procedures and techniques, are pointed out in Rodriguez, et al, High Dose Rate Brachytherapy In Treatment Of Prostate Cancer 13(3) pp. 503-523, 1999, HematologylOncology Clinics of North America. 
Brachytherapy is defined as the use of permanent implants or radioactive materials at the site. Two forms of brachytherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer are seed implantation and high dose rate brachytherapy:
Seed Implantation is performed on an out-patient basis under spinal anesthesia. The transrectal ultrasound probe is re-positioned to accurately reproduce the conformational plan format. Disposable implant needles that have been preloaded with radioactive seeds and absorbable spacers are then introduced through the appropriate needle guide holes in a template as indicated in the plan. Each needle is guided through the perineum to its predetermined position within the prostate under direct ultrasound visualization of the needle position within the prostate. The specified number of seeds are then implanted by withdrawing the needle while holding the stylet against the stylet stop. The seeds are pushed out as the needle is withdrawn by the stationary stylet. The AccuSeed Stepper, from Endocare, Irving, Calif., is used to position and stabilize the ultrasound probe and the implant needles.
The high dose radiation procedure is performed in the operating room using a spinal or general anesthesia. The patient is positioned in lithotomy position. The AccuSeed stepper is setup, and a high dose radiation template is mounted to the base and set up adjacent to the perineal area of the patient. The TRUS is utilized for the identification of the prostate gland. With the use of TRUS and fluoroscopic guidance, the implant needles are carefully inserted through the skin surface to the prostate gland. X-rays verify needle position. The template is then sutured at all four corners to the perineum. The catheters remain in place as the AccuSeed stepper is taken down and away from the patient. X-rays are utilized to optimize a specific treatment plan. When the dose is finalized the HDR remote afterloader is programmed with your individual treatment. The patient is then taken to the radiation oncology department. The implant catheters are connected to an HDR machine, to enable a radiation source to deliver treatment. The number of HDR treatments depends on the individual""s prescription.
Cryotherapy is defined as the application of extreme cold to destroy tissue.
The cryotherapy procedure is performed with a local or spinal anesthesia. The patient is placed in lithotomy position and prepped and draped. The AccuSeed is set up and the cryotherapy template is mounted on the stepper to assist in holding the TRUS and placement of the cryotherapy probes. The prostate gland is measured with TRUS and the plan is evaluated for placement of the cryotherapy probes. The guide wires and dilators are then inserted under ultrasound at planned locations. A urethral warmer and thermocouples are placed in delineated areas to measure and protect surrounding tissues. A first freeze is accomplished with liquified argon gas. This gas creates ice balls as the tip of the cryoprobes encompassing the entire prostate gland. Extreme cold temperatures destroy all the prostate tissue including cancerous cells. After a thawing period of about thirty minutes, a second freeze is done to ensure effective treatment has been accomplished.
The most prevalent use of the current invention will be in high dose rate brachytherapy due to the need for the template to remain attached to the patient for extended periods, and that the treatment methods inherently include safety, efficacy, and popularity of its usage due to elimination of the inconvenience that occurs in the standard type of treatments as explained above.
This invention principally relates to a prostate implanting device, and more specifically provides for the very accurate seeding of a prostate malignancy at the exact site of its determined location, through the usage of the treatment template of this invention.
The present invention is a disposable template (also called a guide or a grid) to be used either freehand or in conjunction with the AccuSeed(trademark) Stepper and Stabilizer, currently available from Tayman Medical, Inc., of Chesterfield, Mo. Although designed for use with the AccuSeed stepper and stabilizer, the template could be modified for use with other stepper/stabilizers.
The template of this invention provides a guiding and anchoring means for interventional devices associated with brachytherapy seed implants, high dose rate brachytherapy, cyrotherapy, and RF therapy, such as needles and catheters. This template may be used free hand, in conjunction with the treatment of a patient suffering from prostate cancer.
This prostate treatment template is generally used in conjunction with a medical seeding device, as the type as previously identified, and is designed to be attached to the seeding device, and registered relative thereto, such that when assembled, the calibration tank or stabilization device accurately mates the entire assembly together, to make it highly accurate in the seeding of an implant at a precise location within the prostate, during treatment.
As shown in the drawings, the template and the interface optionally contain a sensing means (such as a proximity sensor, by way of example only) that detects templates and may prevent future electronic/motorized stepper/stabilizers from operating in the presence of counterfeit templates.
The interface facilitates docking and undocking of the template in a convenient way that is consistent with clinical procedures. For instance, during high dose brachytherapy procedures, the interface allows the stepper/stabilizer to undock from the template, leaving the template behind with the patient without disturbing the interventional devices that have been inserted. Further, the interface is of an open design, which would allow it to be removed even if those interventional devices are connected to external equipment, such as a high dose brachytherapy afterloader. The interface also uniquely allows the template to be reconnected to the stepper/stabilizer regardless of what interventional devices are connected to the template, and for whatever reason.
It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide for the combination of a template, for support within its interface holder, to furnish very accurate seeding of high dose rate means for brachytherapy treatment, etc., of malignancy within the prostate.
Another object of this invention is to provide for a template which when located within its holder is precisely in registration with the seeding instrument with which it is used.
Another object of this invention is to provide for a treatment template that has various other accessories that add to the convenience of usage of the device, when used for implanting a seed for treatment of prostate cancer.
These and other objects may become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the summary of the invention as provided herein, and upon undertaking a study of the description of its preferred embodiment, in view of the drawings.
Some of the are unique features of the new product include:
1. A disposable or reusable polymer template insert molded to a metal frame, with portions of either exposed, and portions of either encapsulated in the other.
2. A frame that facilitates registration/calibration and adds physical strength.
3. A template with belt loops to accommodate a support belt.
4. A template with suture wings for support during the extended time the template remains with the patient.
5. A template with finger grip areas for hand manipulation.
6. A template with finger grip areas that double as clearance for monitoring components during calibration or when not used in an handheld mode.
7. A template with unique instrument alignment bores composed of a hole for directional guidance and one or more detents to control device insertion/removal force.
8. A template and template interface that mate together and with the Tayman Stepper/Stabilizer, according to a proprietary design.
9. An interface that registers the template to the stepper/stabilizer, guaranteeing calibration without re-calibration for each template used.
10. An interface that is of an open design.